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Monday, April 20, 2015

The Merriment: A monthly gathering of live bands playing ‘70s-inspired funk and R&B The Location: The Valley (North Hollywood) The Vibes: Lively, energetic, loud, retro Good for: Going alone, dates, groups of friends When-To-Go: Every last Friday of the month, starting at 9 p.m. The $ Factor: Free before 10 p.m., $10 after

The 4-1-1: Owned by The Knitting Factory Entertainment group, The Federal Bar also has two other locations — in Long Beach and in Brooklyn Parking Situation: Adjacent valet lot, nearby metered and free street parking I’ll Be Back…: To check out the next set of live bands to come through!

In March, The Federal Bar in North Hollywood launched its inaugural monthly series, The Soul Shakedown, which features soul/funk/R&B bands playing live music every last Friday of the month.

The Soul Shakedown takes places in The Federal Bar’s adjacent event space, located through a side door off Weddington St., upstairs. The venue itself is rather spacious, with a full bar, a stage located towards the back, a few couches by the front entrance and a balcony to the side. While there was definitely a good amount of people there during the inaugural night back in March, it never felt too crowded; there was enough space to move around comfortably in. And, it was nice to be able to actually sit down — no annoying reserved seating for bottle service only — and to have the option to go outside for fresh air, especially after hitting the dance floor.

The crowd itself on the first night was extremely varied, from young college types to more mature couples, and everything in between. There were attendees in the front who were getting a serious workout by dancing, and then there were people just chilling in the back, listening to the music or grabbing drinks and casually conversingg.

The live music itself was phenomenal, with each band giving its own unique spin on R&B and funk. TV screens situated above and around the stage showed vintage ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s footage — of concerts, cartoons, films and TV shows like The Jeffersons and Soul Train.

The Federal Bar also has an intriguing menu in its downstairs gastropub, which is perfect for grabbing dinner and drinks, prior to heading to The Soul Shakedown. Options include twists on American fare standards and include choices like the Crispy Chicken & Biscuit Sliders, a Buffalo Chicken pizza and the Vegan Weena, pictured below.

The Soul Shakedown happens every last Friday of the month, and the second one will be this upcoming Friday, April 24. Beat Mosaic, Soul Scratch and Mean Mr. Mustard will be returning, with recording artists Jackie Mendez and Xavier debuting at the event. See you there!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

If there’s one thing I love more than listening to great music, it’s discovering up-and-coming artists making great music.

I got to indulge in this love of mine when last week, I was invited to a special showcase at The Sayers Club in Hollywood, for an intimate performance by Australian recording artist Meg Mac. The 24-year-old singer recently signed to 300 Entertainment, a record label started by music industry vets Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Roger Gold and Todd Moscowitz, joining a roster of artists that includes ASTR, Migos and Shawty Lo.

Fresh off a month-long tour opening for the band Clean Bandit that took her through more than nine cities — including Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta and Austin for SXSW — this performance was actually Meg Mac's last night in the States.

A couple hundred of attendees gathered for the event, including Cohen and other industry execs from top tier music and tech companies. An open bar kept the cocktails flowing, as everyone chatted with one another before and after the show, in a very laid back, chill ambiance.

Surrounded by people sprawled on the floor, sitting on worn leather couches and huddled closely around, Meg Mac graced the stage around 8:20pm, dressed in all black — black shoes, loose black harem pants and a closed black cape that she eventually took off to reveal a smart black jacket and a crisp white, button-down shirt. Her four-person band backed her, which, she shared at one point during the night, she had only met recently, while at SXSW, inviting them to join her for the remainder of her tour.

She performed seven songs in total, and throughout it all, had a very tempered vibe, calmly moving around the stage with subdued dance moves here and there. She briefly talked between songs, mainly to provide brief context about what she'd perform next. However, it was really all about exhibiting her music and her talent. Her voice was mesmerizing and powerful, fiercely and unwaveringly slicing through the air. She had an affectionate chemistry with her backup vocalist, exchanging smiles and glances, and her band jammed behind her like a smoothly, well-oiled machine, absorbed in the music. Her songs had powerful, uplifting messages and spanned diverse topics, including liars, her grandma and even a lost necklace.

The first song on her set list was Known Better, her first ever recorded song and one that's on her self-titled debut EP, which launched in March 2015. She also performed the other four songs off the EP, including Grandma's Hands, Turning, Roll Up Your Sleeves, which has received more than 1 million hits on Spotify, and her latest single, Every Lie. She spun her own version of the New Zealand brother-and-sister duo Broods' Burning and sang A Capella a hauntingly remorseful song about her lucky necklace.

It's really refreshing to see such pure, raw talent. It says a lot when you can grace the stage without backup dancers or dazzling costumes, and still have a commanding presence with just a voice, a band and a great sound.

Meg Mac headed back to Australia last Thursday, but you can still check out her music on Spotify or iTunes until the next time she’s back in the States, which is hopefully soon!